(continued)

JC: ... everyone was absolutely stretched as we kept redeveloping the surface using CAD software.

The Cella Chair story is revolutionary!

ML: What was your inspiration in designing the Celle Chair?

JC: The Celle has a story that should be told. The chair is firm, firmer than most people in the United States are used to, except Mercedes-Benz drivers. We found that it’s firmness that you appreciate over the long haul, because it gives you continual support. With Celle, we even built controls right into the chair, made them part of it.

In 2000, I started thinking about how we could take seating support to a new level. I also thought about the most vital part of the chair that could impact support: the seating surface. My theory was if you could make it intelligent - make the surface do what you want it to do - in each region of the human anatomy, now that would really be an advancement in seating support and comfort!. At this point, I was just thinking, no sketching or computer work was done yet.

Like Celle's cells, the water supports the shark and helps it move.

I visualized a metaphor in nature: a turtle swimming thru the sea, with the water's surface around it supporting it. The surface of the water is intelligent and it does its job constantly. I also visualized a shark swimming rapidly through the water, forming and reforming the water as the water supports it and helps it move. I wondered if we could manufacture a seating surface that would respond to every area of the anatomy like the water responded to the fish.

We decided to go with an initial molecular shape, but enlarge the molecules to look like tiny pads, then provide a cohesive force to connect the pads, kind of springy loops all around, some deep, some shallow. From there, we developed actual models and ways of testing them to measure the amounts and kinds of pressure that would be applied to them. Then we started to refer to the pads as cells. Connected cells would make up the surface of the seat and back; it was totally unique, we called it Cellular Suspension. We could control each specific area of the surface of a seat or back of a chair by varying the attachment of the cells or pads using the springy loops. To make the surface very soft or compliant we would make the loops very deep and very thin. The loops would be the opposite for a firmer surface. Both seat and back surfaces would be contoured. So each cell will be slightly different-all 1500 cells that make up each chair.

Each cell is slightly different - all 1500 cells that make up each chair!

Then we started the durability testing, especially for the thin loops. We divided the seat and back into specific areas. The spinal area needed good support, so we made the cells rigid and not as compliant. In sacrum area, we made them deep, compliant, and softer, because there are five fused bones which need support and comfort.

The pelvis is the key to the whole sitting and support situation. When we stand it's nearly vertical. If we could sit like we stand, we'd be extremely comfortable. Standing, the spine is in a good lardosis. If it's not in the upright position (the way most people sit, it's rotated backward, the lardosis takes a convex curve and the muscles are strained) Good lardosis is dependent on the position of the pelvis and it's important to keep it in the right position. The chair must do two things:

• Bring the cells down in a firm way to put some pressure on the sacrum to keep it in the correct position,
  
• Create a spot in the seat with some compliancy (at the bottom of the pelvis) for the ilium which are 3-5" apart on the pelvis.
  

The pelvis is the key to the whole sitting and support situation.

If we don't keep the pelvis in the right position on the seat, in relationship to the back, we've lost all support. Most people slide forward. In Celle's seat we've created two compliant areas for the ilium, so its firmer in the middle and softer where the leg goes over the edge, to keep the sitter "in the pocket," their ilium in the right position. So the sitter will be using their back to keep the pelvis in the right position and maintain lardosis. In other words, let the back do its job.

ML: Where did you get your knowledge of anatomy?

JC: Being interested in seating, I had to find out what makes things work and doesn't. Of course working with Herman Miller is wonderful, because they have an ergonomics department and talk about it all the time. Herman Miller had more than 40 people working on development of this chair. It was sort of up to me to figure out how to accomplish it after they told me what should be accomplished. It's a total teamwork situation. The good part is, I got to be what a product designer should be, a conductor for a symphony across disciplines, with everyone working together to make the right kind of music.

ML: Thanks so much, we’ll pass this vital information on to our Product Specialists to assist customers.

  Click here for more information about the Celle Chair.